KEGIATAN PENELITIAN SEBAGI USAHA UNTUK MENINGKATKAN PROFESIONALISME GURU MATEMATIKA

By : Dr. Marsigit, M.A.

Reviewed by Yustia Rahmawati (p.matswa 09 / 09301244005)

          Teachers or prospective teachers of mathematics as a researcher may deliberately hold changes in learning mathematics in school by doing various experiments, so comes the scientific method. Approach to mathematics education research can be done with barbagai airways including quantitative research. Quantitative studies of learning mathematics rely on the scientific method to find rules, laws and principles about the reality of learning mathematics in school. The laws are found either by way of deduction or induction. The reality of mathematics education can be broken down into 2 parts of the law applicable to the whole that describes the mathematics education also applies to the parts. Quantitative research considers that learning mathematics are objective and measurable. Experiments can be done by manipulating variables that  can be measured quantitatively in order to look for relationships between different variables of teaching and learning mathematics.

          The scope of mathematics education research can be derived from the encouragement by researchers to reform mathematics education, in which it was realized that innovation mathematics education can be sourced to the conceptual factors, values, pragmatic, empirical and politically. By placing the components of learning mathematics, in the context mathematics education research, then Grouws, DA (1992) describe many variations relationship between components at the level of simple or complex level.

          Judging from the practice of mathematics teaching then at least there are two main factors namely the practice of learning itself and the factor value or values. If researchers want to improve learning mathematics in the field of content or learning materials, the researcher may make the observation of sibelajar when studying mathematics. If researchers want repair or wish to acquire an innovative method of learning mathematics, the researcher notice context need to learn mathematics, teachers use the methods and management learning mathematics.

Mathematical Thinking Related to Mathematical Contents :

1. Clarifying sets of objects for consideration and objects excluded from sets, and clarifying conditions for inclusion (Idea of sets)

2. Focusing on constituent elements (units) and Their sizes and relationships (Idea of units)

3. Attempting to think based on the fundamental principles of expressions (Idea of expression)

4. Clarifying and extending the meaning of Things and operations, and Attempting to think based on this (Idea of operation)

5. Attempting to formalize operation methods (Idea of algorithm)

6. Attempting to grasp the big picture of objects and operations, and using the result of this understanding (Idea of approximation)

7. Focusing on basic rules and properties (Idea of the fundamental properties)

8. Attempting to focus on what is determined by one's decisions, finding rules of relationships the between variables, and to use the same (Functional Thinking)

9. Attempting to express propositions and relationships as Formulas, and to read their meaning (Idea of Formulas)

          The nature of student learning mathematics and implications for research and learning. Ebbutt and Straker (1995: 60-75), gave his view that in order for potential students can grow and learn mathematics in an optimal, assumptions about the characteristics of the subject students towards learning mathematics and impikasi given as follows: Students will learn math if they have the motivation, with implications for research and learning that teachers need to: provide a fun activity, attention desires of students, build understanding through what is known by students, creating classroomatmosphere that supports learning, provide activities that are consistent with the objectives learning, providing challenging activities, provide activities that provide expectations of success, valuing each student achievement.